Where’s Your Staff?

Hebrews 11:1-3Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

In Hebrew culture, story was a big part of how they communicated faith. As Apostle Paul writes to the Hebrew Christians about faith, he retells the stories of the great heroes of the faith and introduces Jesus to the story as the author and finisher of the faith.

In Hebraic culture, they would mark significant moments in their lives on their staffs. Revelation tells us that we overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony, our story (Revelation 12:11). You have a staff and a story.

In Psalm 23:4, David says that his rod and his staff comforted him when he walked through the valley of the shadow of death. When David faced Goliath with only his slingshot and his staff, he was confident because God had delivered him from the lion and the bear (1 Samuel 17:40-46). He was not just holding a staff; the staff was his story.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. - Hebrews 11: 21

At the end of his life, Jacob leaned on his staff as he blessed each of his sons. The staff was not just his story, but the story of his faith and God’s faithfulness to his lineage. When we look back and remember God’s faithfulness, it’s more than enough to make us worship him, regardless of the present circumstances.

There were three things that God instructed the children of Israel to do during Passover in Exodus 12:7, 11 that give us insight into how we are to live today.

1. Make sure there’s blood on the doorpost. This meant right standing with God, that the angel of death would pass over their household.

2. Make sure your shoes are on. This meant they were ready to walk into the future when God directed them.

3. Make sure your staff is in hand. This was an instruction to keep marking the moments where God delivered them.

The enemy wants to take away your staff and devalue your story. Take the time to look back and see God’s faithfulness. Where’s your staff? Lean in on your story!

Action Item: Take time to journal, remember the marks of God in your life, and give thanks!